Autumn Reflections & The Reality Of Suffering

This isn't really the title but what follows is taken from the writings of Mrs. Charles Cowman's devotionals (Streams in the Desert- early 1920's). (be sure to enlarge for the flower in the raindrop)




Some of you might be familiar with her writing but this one always speaks to me and it falls on my birthday each year.
Over twenty years ago I heard a lady speak of suffering on a radio program driving in my car. After sharing her testimony..she said this in effect "suffering is your friend, you need to embrace it"..I can still remember reaching for the knob.. twisting it, while muttering "Suffering is your friend lady- you embrace it"! At least now, I think I have a better understanding of what it means than I did then? I still have a lot to learn but anyway, this is my offering for Thursday.. slightly condensed-

I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord (Phil. 3:8)

This is the happy season of ripening cornfields, of the merry song of the reapers, of the secured and garnered grain. But let me harken to the sermon of the field. This is its solemn word to me. You must die in order to live. You must refuse to consult your own ease and well-being...If you would bear much fruit, you must be buried in darkness and solitude.
My heart fails me as I listen. But, when Jesus asks it, let me tell myself that it is my high dignity to enter into the fellowship of His sufferings; and thus I am in the best of company..Plenty out of pain, life out of death: is it not the law of the Kingdom?- In the hour of silence.
Do we call it dying when the bud bursts into flower?

Acrostic Pandemic

Swine Flue
Pardon me while I let a little steam out..

So remember the 70's and 60 minutes?
Well they're hoping you'll forget
I'm sure they don't regret it..but who
Nose? You shouldn't- we have Youtube, but
Either position, from what I can tell, it's the

FDA, WHO's doing all the concocting.. for the swine they're referring to, never climbed out of a
Lab..just look at that syringe, and where they want to ram it..it's a hoax as I
Understand, so I'll be taking a pass on their unwholesome brew- don my mask ..I'd rather die of the flue-
E is for-

60 Minutes-

Autism-

Coffee, Ferns & Fungus

My series For Macro Monday-

Morning, after my coffee..
Spending some time here
With Peachy Pie..he's striking a pose-

Outside, in the grass..
Fungus was fun
Ferns were fine-

Grandpa Was A Boat Builder

For Monochrome Weekly-

This photo (the only one we have like it) , is of my husbands Grandpa..he was an excellent Portuguese boat builder, oftentimes gambler, painter by trade but built some houses as well. This monkey here was pretty nasty I heard. He wasn't too pleasant with others but loved him. Anyway, this is my submission- hope everyone has a great weekend-

This Cakes The Bomb!

I rarely post recipes (don't think I have on the poetry blog)..but this is absolutely to die for..besides, it's my birthday and I needed an excuse.. Its (Martha Stewart's Chocolate-Ginger Cake With Bourbon Sauce ) If you love the flavors of ginger, chocolate & hot Bourbon- then you won't be disappointed! (I go in and buy the tiny little bottles they sell by the checkout..it's the perfect measurement-




1/2 cup unsalted butter, (1 stick), softened, plus more for pan
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons finely grated, peeled fresh ginger
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bourbon Sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch Bunt pan. Dust with cocoa powder, and tap out excess; set aside. Put butter, molasses, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook , stirring constantly, until butter has melted. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Let cool 5 minutes.
Add eggs, milk, and grated ginger to the molasses mixture; whisk to combine. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and cinnamon into a medium bowl.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until just combined. (There should be lumps remaining.) Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Invert cake, and unsold onto a cake stand or a large serving platter. Using a spoon, drizzle the warm bourbon sauce over the cake in a back-and-forth motion. Serve immediately.
Ingredients
Makes 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup good-quality bourbon
Directions
Put butter, egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla, and bourbon in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture registers 160 degrees.on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.

Crater Festival, Diamond Head

For Monocrome Weekly

My sister & brother-in-law, selling her wares at the 1969 Crater Festival- Diamond Head, Oahu- This wasNew Years ( I guess it's close to the anniversary? Wonder what musicans were playing?

His Jewelry & Mine

For Monochrome Weekly

My husband, swapping an engine with his forklift-

He's got a video cam, but I'm shooting him through his motorcycle revere-

His Jewelery-

Some costume of mine-

Wisdom & Folly, They Both Call

Wisdom
Pr.3 13..Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her-

Wisdom
She built her house
Prepared her meat
&
Mixed her wine
Upon her table
Set
Then sent her maids
Calling,
From the highest point
Of the city-

Come,
All who are simple..
Eat my food
Drink my wine-
Leave your simple ways
Behind

Walk in the way
Of understanding-

Folly

Sits at the door of her house-
At the highest point
Of the city
Loud
&
Undisciplined

To those who pass by
She calls-
Come,
All who are simple
To those who lack judgment
Stolen water is sweet-

Verses & inspiration taken from
Pr. 9

Bonfires On Lighthall Street

I was actually nicknamed Gina Bug when I was growing up, probably because bugs just always fascinated me. Maybe when I was around ten or eleven I went through a slightly different phase and though it was rather short lived, firebug would have been more of an apt description for me.

Our neighbors directly across the street had a long brown picket fence that bordered their driveway. They had a neat hedge of fragrant Lantana growing along the opposite side next to their house. I loved to catch these small golden butterflies that lit among the soft pastel petals. My friend Michael lived next door to them with his younger sister and brother. I remember his father would come home from work, dirty with white paint spatters all over his clothes. Even though he looked tired, he appeared genuinely happy, radiating warmth through his eyes and smile. His mom on the other hand, well you would of thought I had a picture of her buried away in some drawer? She was pleasant enough with an easy going smile under a head of wild blond hair. I can remember her standing at the doorway when she came to greet me… speaking in a loud gravely voice, either out of the side while balancing a lit cigarette between her lips or fingers- every one of her nails chewed to the nub. When she hollered for her kids, it was the most amazing guttural screech I'd ever heard!

Occasionally I'd overhear the grownups remark that their dad was a hard worker but the mom was the one who liked to hit the bars. My older sisters would occasionally baby sit, only I gathered my parents really didn't appreciate me going over there to play too much. Maybe that was partly because my dad liked to refer to my visits as me “leaking out of the house”? Somehow though, it must have been difficult keeping me in on our little cul-de-sac on Saturdays. As for Sunday, church just took a big fat chunk out of the day and somehow they always managed to extract a little more out of it when we got home as if there was something extra solemn about a darn Sunday!

Now it wasn't too hard for me to get a hold of a small candle or two but it certainly helped that his parents were smokers, so he took care of the matches. All these fires started out pretty tame by the way but the trouble was, most of them were in vacant lots! Well, everything was going pretty swell, except for one day after school. There was a man we called old Mr. Hobbs who had one hand missing due to a work related injury. He lived at the very end of the road with a really super long paved driveway. When he sold the house, a family with a young girl my age moved in for a spell and we used love to roller skate up and down it. Anyway, to our delight, right next to his property was a small vacant lot. Growing in between the few trees where we could remain inconspicuous was over grown brownish grass..a lot of it! A neighbor kid who lived straight across would occasionally join us along with Michael’s younger siblings who’d always tagged along.

Honestly, I can’t tell you exactly what we thought… but you can bet it had something to do with the element of danger for sure?

Bonfire…Wikipidia says- not to be confused with campfire-(Lol)..A bonfire is a large controlled (did you catch that) outdoor fire. The word is a contraction of "bone fire". The practice is believed to derive from the Celtic festival of Samhain when animal bones were burnt to ward off evil spirits. I'm amused.

All right, after we lit the matches and got our marvelous little bone fire going, it began to spread rather quickly. Our eyes became huge as the fire began to rage out of control. We panicked, racing around trying to stomp it out, but before we knew it, Mr. Hobb's neighbor appeared out of nowhere and silently helped us put it out. Funny, he was a Psychologist and to my relief, he never told our parents. I often wondered whether it was because he knew his son had been participating?

That family was pretty loose too, according to my standards? One day I went up to visit them early before they’d finished breakfast. His sister was sitting there at the table drinking a large glass of Nestles chocolate milk with the biggest wad of pink chewing gum I’d ever seen stuck next to her bowl of Sugar Frosted Flakes! For some reason, the occasional cat deposits I'd come across in Michael’s living room, paled in comparison to this!

There were two more incidents I recall which pretty much snuffed out if you will, any euphoric feelings I had for igniting these blazes..though I wasn't able to partake in either? The first was old Mr. Hobbs garage; mysteriously, it caught fire and burned to a crisp.

The last one though was certainly more daring than disastrous, only because it was a large field adjacent to the house across from us. For some reason, I'd always been left with a feeling I was being punished that day? Anyway, I heard the fire trucks rumbling down our road and came running from the back of our house. Interestingly, any damage that fire caused was completely overshadowed by the most memorable part I have of all. Peering out of our living room window, my eyes had become instantly fastened on Michael. He had positioned himself on that brown picket fence, his legs crossed mind you-with his chin resting on his hand looking amazingly casual!!

Sadly, his parents divorced and moved on with his father gaining custody of all three of them. His Father eventually remarried and dropped by so he could introduce us to his new wife and her five children. They all looked really happy too. Anyway, that was the last time I’d ever seen them.

Sunlight In Sepia

For Monochrome Weekly

(I removed the Ross rug)
Below of the deep woods (Saddle Rd)
Our dog in the fields at the top of Mauna Kea-

Slopes of Mauna Kea

For Skywatch Friday

This is a Pukihawe plant with berries that change from burgandy to soft shades of pink and white. They love this high elevation and are also used for making Christmas wreathes as well-

Happy skywatching-